|
Awakenings
May 2004
In this issue:
Copyright © 2001-2002
Jagriti International.
All rights reserved.
|
|
 |
May 2004
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DOWN UNDER IN NEPAL
|
by Lin Rosney
|
| Journal writing is a
powerful tool for awakening to one's potential. All Jagriti
Bridging Worlds volunteers receive beautiful journals
and are encouraged to record their innermost thoughts
on a daily basis. To share their experiences with others,
our BW volunteers have also agreed to submit regular journal
entries for our website. This is a great way to give family,
friends and "armchair travelers" a dynamic view of life
as a Bridging Worlds volunteer. Below are some excerpts
from the online journal of Lin Rosney from Australia who
volunteered with Saathi in Nepal from February to April.
For more details and to read the journals of other volunteers,
please click
here |
|
 |
|
3/10/04 Week 1.5
|
Namaste - Tapailai kasto cha? (hello -
how are you)
Under the watchful eye of Kurt Cobain (there about 6 giant posters
framed and hung around the Internet shop) I have come to the
conclusion that what Australian culture could benefit from (actually
what it really needs) is a nationally sanctioned water fight!
Absurd perhaps? But a reality in India and Nepal annually. On
Saturday we celebrated the Hindu festival of Holi - the festival
of colours. Basically every man, woman and child proceeds to
use water pistols, balloons, plastic bags, hoses and garbage
bins full of water to completely saturate anyone within a 20-meter
radius. To make matters more interesting (and to the delight
of washing powder advertisers the previous week), coloured dye
is added to the water and coloured tikka is smeared over everyone's
faces (supposedly a blessing but I think really just for the
fun of it!). The fantastic thing about the celebration is that
there is no one on the sidelines saying, "Oh no I'd rather not
get wet" as you would probably hear in an Australian version.
So watch out everyone, our first BBQ on my return will be "Holi
down under" and no one will be spared (and yes I know it's almost
winter in May but that will be about the temperature it is in
Kathmandu at the moment so it will only make it all the more
authentic!)
|
3/15/04 Lin
the Tourist
|
After taking about an hour
for what should be a 15-minute walk from Thamel (main tourist
area), I arrived at Durbar Square (historical centre of Kathmandu)…The
first temple we went to was small and the intricate woodcarvings
were certainly very beautiful - but the most interesting thing
was who lived in the temple - Kumari, the living child-goddess.
Basically, a few hundred years ago the King miffed off a goddess
by trying to grope her, so she cursed him and then he cried
like a baby so she relented and said she would come back as
a child and he better treat her good then. So every few years
(when the existing goddess reaches 12-13 years) a new goddess
is chosen. Several 4-5 year old girls are put through tests
including being locked in a dark room overnight with scary noises
and face masks and whoever comes out the bravest is the new
Kumari. She is taken from her family (with their permission)
and lives in the little temple. She is brought out a few times
a year to parade around the city on a chariot. She is given
education and a pension when she gets too old.
I looked up at the balcony where I could hear the child (oops,
sorry - goddess) playing wondering what it must be like to be
a living goddess. I was answered when a yellow Tonka truck came
tumbling over the railing missing my head by about centimetres.
|
3/23/04 NEWSFLASH
|
Well I was going to write
you a little story about what the food is like over here - as
so many of you have asked.....but NEWSFLASH!
On Friday evening at 9pm I make debut as a Nepali TV star! That's
right. I was discovered as I walked to work yesterday (always
knew it would only be a matter of time). This big van with tinted
windows drove past and about 5 Nepali guys were leaning out
very obviously staring at me....I put on my best "I'm a tough
western women don't mess with me face" (you get good practice
at it) and kept walking. Next thing I knew, the van pulled up
a the guys jumped out. They explained they were from a very
famous Nepali Current Affairs satire show and they needed a
person to play a foreigner part and could I do it that day.
Still a little suspicious I said sure and gave them my work
phone number.
So I went to work and everyone knew about the show and all thought
it was a great laugh. So Santosh (the director) and his crew
came to the office at about 4.30pm (after supposed to be there
at 3pm - but that's about right in "Nepali Time") and everyone
was very excited. Santosh said, "Did you tell them I was coming?"
I said, "No, I just said a guy from a TV show." He said, "Well
they all know who I am you know." Oops - sorry!
So basically I played a London boss talking to a Nepali employee
who was just about to go on holidays to Kathmandu. They set
the London scene by throwing a big heavy snow jacket on the
back of the chair and I got to say great lines like "you are
a very nice lady, I think you will come back to work here again."
Santosh said I have great potential to be an actress........mmmmmm.....goodbye
accountancy!.....although the hubby may say I always have been
an excellent Drama Queen!!
Unfortunately you'll just have to take my word for it as I don't
know anyone with a video recorder!
|
3/24/04 Serious
Stuff
|
Saathi means friend in Nepali.
It is an NGO that has been running since 1992. It was originally
set up to provide advocacy and shelter to victims of domestic
violence, which up to that point was basically a no-go discussion
area in Nepal. Since then they have expanded their programs
to include street children and cross border trafficking of women
(which is still happening at an alarming rate - and often even
if the women are returned they are socially stigmatized and
abused).
They run a shelter for the women and street children and a drop
in centre where street children can come for short-term needs
(food, medical, informal education and short-term accommodation).
Where possible they provide counseling to the children and their
families in an attempt to re-unite the child with the family.
Often the children are on the streets due to the extreme poverty
of their families (as well as alcohol and sexual abuse) so Saathi
provides the family with a scholarship to send the children
to school to encourage the parents to keep them at home.
In both Kathmandu and rural Nepal, they have set up income generation
projects for the women victims to restore their self-esteem
and provide them hope for the future to be economically independent.
(There is no social welfare system for the women to rely on
like in western countries, and very often a women without a
husband or other male family members to look after her is completely
socially excluded.)
As well as direct intervention programs, they also run educational
workshops and rallies to raise community awareness and also
lobby the government for the change in discriminatory laws.
For example citizenship can only be gained through the father
- if a street child was not registered at birth (often happens)
and he doesn't know who his father is, he/she is officially
not a citizen of Nepal and therefore can be denied basic rights
and job opportunities later in life. |
Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|